I have a student who has expressed interest in the AF. She specifically came to me for advice/assistance based on my background. To be honest, this girl could use a break, and the military seems to be one of the better cards she could play.

I called the recruiter and got a message to call a second number. The second number went to a phone where I could not leave a voicemail due to the mailbox being full.

I hit the internet. Found a recruiter in the state capital and e-mailed him my story. Got a very fast response back apologizing and stating that our local dude (different name) was literally moving in and would contact me soon.

I get that the dude is moving in, but I wouldn't think an acknowledgment to my inquiry sometime in the ensuing 7-10 days would be too much to ask. I e-mailed again yesterday (admittedly a Federal holiday). We'll see if he gets back to me.

My fear is that they dork around and miss out on her. They did that with one of my best friends a long time ago. He couldn't buy a call back from the recruiter, so he gave up and went elsewhere.

Maybe we have all the troops we need. Maybe it's practice for being ignored by the VA down the road. Maybe it's to test how serious you are. I don't know. What I do know is that it sucks to not be able to help someone who is asking for help trying to better herself. The worst part is that I'm guilty by former association.

I understand the military to be RIFing people for the last couple years. No longer a big push to meet quotas, so no hurry to return a call.
Either way, hope it works out in her favor.

On one sense it is up to the recruiters to do their job.

On the other, if she wants the benefits the military has to offer then it's on her to make that happen, don't let a shitty or passive recruiter stand in her way, it won't be the first time she encounters a POS in the military.

Understood and agreed. I am trying to figure out how understanding I should be of dude moving in versus when I should go around him. We live in a very rural area, so it’s not like there are multiple ones in the area.

AF recruiters were notoriously hard to find. Everyone wanted AF and they could afford to be choosey. AF and Navy were also hit hard by the RIF. The Army and Marine Recruiters will probably be easier to get in touch with. I'd also recommend talking to the Navy Recruiter. you could also talk to the other AF recruiter.

I wasn’t sure how territorial they were.

I would also recommend talking to the Navy but also the Coast Guard. Even back in the day when I tried to enlist (1990s), the Air Force recruiters were always hard to find.

If I could do it all over again I think I would go the Coast Guard route.

Don't let that one negative interaction deter her.

Heck, I just had one miserable experience with the Army trying to re-enlist for an additional three years. Thankfully a very helpful E-7 out of the Charlotte area stepped up and got me where I needed to be and she was flat awesome.

This is my second re-enlistment past my original contract and the only time I have had a problem.

quote:

Originally posted by mrapteam666:
Even back in the day when I tried to enlist (1990s), the Air Force recruiters were always hard to find.

Someone has to play on all those golf courses on base!

quote:

Originally posted by Herknav:
I wasn’t sure how territorial they were.

Back in the day I had to shop Army recruiters until I found one that would give me what I wanted. If you really want to get her in, you need to keep banging on doors.

If the AF recruiter is structured like Army recruiting units, each recruiter has a mission (AKA quota) they need to make per time period. If the recruiter has made their quota and there is no incentive to exceed it I.E. RIF or no continuing resolution the recruiter feels no obligation to sign and ship people, this could be the case. If they know you are eager they can call you as soon as the next time period starts and make their quota quick. It's also possible that "just moved" is a euphemism for something else.

Unless she's got her heart set on one- Shop around and check them all.

No territory they're just recruiters. Find one who cares they're out there.

I think it's great you are helping her.

Maybe I misinterpreted your post, but I think she should be the one contacting the recruiters.

This is her career, and I hope you're not doing all the "legwork" for her.

Just like a job interview. As an employer, you wouldn't be interested in a potential hire if their parent/counselor was trying to schedule an interview for them.

I wish her the best of luck, and I thank-you for making that extra effort.

You're probably better off finding the closest recruiting station and driving her down there to get signed up. To many people rely on phone calls or emails these days.

To clarify, I want to make the professional connection. I want to be able to advise my students, and my info is a little out of date. Once I make that connection, I want to slip her the contact info. I agree about letting her do the legwork. Sorry, I sacrificed thoroughness above for brevity.

quote:

Originally posted by calugo:
You're probably better off finding the closest recruiting station and driving her down there to get signed up. To many people rely on phone calls or emails these days.

This.

They probably get 20 calls a day from people dilly-dallying around and it ends up amounting to a complete waste of their time. If I was her I would just keeping showing up until I got a face to face meeting with the recruiter and take it from there.

Being retired Navy, it pains me somewhat to say this but the best recruiters we have seen have been USCG.

Go to your nearest recruiting station with them and show them that she is serious about this.

The Marines, the Army and Navy will be more like to look to chase after her. The AF has people knocking there doors down. Has she taken the ASVAB? I work in a HS and deal with recruiters all
the time. In 10 years we have had two decent AF recruiters and even they were hard to get ahold of.

Wait, why hasn't she simply gone to the recruiter's office herself by now?

Maybe there is a detail or two I'm not aware of. However, it seems like her going there in person without anyone else (or their help) would say a lot of the right things in the first place.

quote:

Originally posted by ulsterman:
Being retired Navy, it pains me somewhat to say this but the best recruiters we have seen have been USCG.

But they were limited to guys over 6’ tall.

quote:

Originally posted by JALLEN:

quote:

Originally posted by ulsterman:
Being retired Navy, it pains me somewhat to say this but the best recruiters we have seen have been USCG.

But they were limited to guys over 6’ tall.

Hehehe, yeah so if the boat sinks they can walk to shore...